Watching the beginning of this movie, anyone who’s been paying attention to the character, the franchise, and the spinoffs, has got to be thinking, “Come on! Even carjackers in the year 2029 should know not to mess with Wolverine.” Well, it is indeed set in the future of 2029, Wolverine — oh, let’s just call him Logan (Hugh Jackman) — is making ends meet as a limo driver, and the goofballs who do go after his wheels also become the first members of the film’s rather high body count.

Though “Logan” will be a bit more fun for longtime fans who know all the back stories, it succeeds as a stand-alone film, albeit one that has components that will soar over the heads of newcomers. But that’s OK. It has a narrative that’s compelling enough in its drama and action and odd, throwaway comic bits, that people will enjoy it without realizing what they’ve missed.

Logan’s short temper and long, lethal knuckle claws continue to get regular workouts. But in the past he’s been a man who, aside from being immune to injuries, has never aged. Now Jackman is playing him as an older, grayer, wearier mutant. And Logan has taken to becoming the protector of his former mentor, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), whose mental health has deteriorated almost as much as the physical problems that long ago put him in a wheelchair. They’re hiding out near the Mexican border, along with fellow mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant), who has the power to track other mutants.

But this time, it’s Logan, Charles, and Caliban who are being tracked because mad scientist and mutant-hating Dr. Rice (Richard E. Grant), along with his dangerous henchman Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and crew believe that the trio knows of the whereabouts of a new young mutant named Laura, even though reports say that there haven’t been any new mutants for a couple of decades.

Yes, there sure is a new mutant, her name is Laura (Dafne Keen), and she’s around 10. More info? OK, she’s extremely acrobatic, is prone to violent tantrums, doesn’t speak, and she has knuckle claws that are similar to Logan’s as well as foot claws that wreak even more havoc. She is wild, undisciplined, and deadly. And she’s soon running with the three heroes in hiding, all of them being chased by nefarious villains.

It’s when Laura’s back story is made known that the film takes some surprising dramatic turns. She’s an escapee from an experiment in which child mutants are produced in a lab, using genetic codes from mutants of long ago (i.e. Logan), with plans to create killer soldiers.

So, Laura is out of control, evil hunters are after her, the albino, light-avoiding Caliban is having a rough time, Charles’ dangerous and very powerful brain is losing its grip with reality, and Logan knows that with every passing day, something inside his own body is gnawing away at whatever has been passing as a life force.

The story turns into a road trip to a place where Laura will be safe, a place nicknamed Eden that no one is sure exists. Along the way, viewers (and a couple of characters) are treated to a screening of the Western “Shane,” there’s a brief stop, purportedly of peace and quiet, at the home of the Munson family, and a new creation from that lab, one that is “without a soul,” makes a threatening appearance.

As always in films of this ilk, all roads lead to a huge confrontation, and that body count keeps climbing. When it’s over, and the action and drama have settled down, it’s clear that Hugh Jackman doesn’t have to make any more Wolverine movies if he doesn’t want to. The inspired last shot of the film sees to that. Yet once that’s shown it’s followed by end credits that feature Johnny Cash belting out “When the Man Comes Around.” So, who knows?

“Logan”

Written by Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green; directed by James Mangold